San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski (5) circles the bases after hitting a ninth inning home run against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers that gave the Giants the win at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Jul 15, 2022 (AP News photo)
Milwaukee (50-41). 5. 6. 0
San Francisco (46-43). 8. 11. 2
Friday, July 15, 2022
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–This Friday evening, a day after releasing their veteran southpaw closer, Jake McGee, the Giants sent Alex Wood, a veteran left handed starter, to the mound against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, who, the night before, had foiled the Giants’ chances for a come from behind victory when their bullpen failed to contain a 10th inning Milwaukee offensive surge. This time the Giants played come back kid with a bottom of the ninth Brewer 5-4 lead and the bases loaded Mike Yastrzemski had something to say about it with a grand slam game winning home run to help defeat the Brew Crew 8-5.
Wood is a sinker, slider, change of pace artist whose effectiveness rises and falls noticeably as the game progresses. Before today, his opponents’ 2022 batting average oscillated between .259 with an OPS of .683 in their first at bat; 23 and .619 in the second; and, in the third, a hefty .357, 9.43.
I certainly don’t want to question the widom’s of McGee’s release, and now’s not the time to examine how much of Thursday’s defeat, or even the orange and black’s inability to stifle the Brew Crew’s offense, was the fault of Camilo Doval, who took the loss for the home team.
After all, it was a meek single on a swinging bunt that did him and the Giants in. That’s one reason why we should take the expected ERA statistic, in which a low average exit velocity improves a pitcher’s rating, with a grain of salt.
The concern is that the Giants’ bullpen is not as reliable as it was last year and that the team as a whole suffers from the lament that Bette Davis sang in “Thank Your Lucky Stars,” “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old,” available on the device of your choosing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Oj52gaiBM.
The Brewers entered the game at 50-40, putting them at the top of the National League Central Division, a game and a half in front of the St. Louis Cardinals, who, in turn, were a game ahead of the 45-43 Giants for the last wild card berth.
In tonight’s thrilling 8-5 Giants win, Woodruff went 5-2/3 frames, leaving with a 5-2 lead and. a runner on first. Milwaukee’s starter allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits, five walks, and a hit batter. He threw 112 pitchers, 65 considered strikes. All he got for. it was a no decision and an improved ERA of 3.93.
For his part, Wood lasted 4-2/3 innings, during which he threw 84 pitches, 56 counting as strikes. He allowed three runs, all posthumous and none earned, on four hits and no walks over 4-2/3 innings, striking out seven. For this he, too, got a no decision and a slight reduction of his ERA, 4.20.
The Giants drew first blood in their half of the second frame. With two out and David Villar, who had been hit by a pitch, on first. Joey Bart, who seems to be finding his swing after returning from Sacramento, knocked a solid single to left.
LaMonte Wade, Jr., followed by hammering a 95mph four seamer against the home run leader sign just to the right of the 415 foot sign in right center field, sending the hosts up, 2-0.
Milwaukee benefited from some inadequate Giant infield work in the top of the fifth to take the lead. After Wood had fanned Luis Urías and Pedro Severino, Kolten Wong hit a grounder to the left of Villar, that skipped just under the third basemańs glove. Jonathan Davis followed with another grounder to third.
This one bounced off the bag, and Davis just barely beat Vilar´s throw to first. ChristianYelllich hit what could have been an inning ending bounder to Wade at first, but the ball bounded off his glove for an error that scored Wong and sent Davis around to third. That ended Wood´s night.
Tyler Rogers came on to walk Willy Adames on a full count, Andrew McCutchen doubled to left, Rogers hit Rowdy Telle hitting for Mike Brouseeau, with a pitch, Hunter Renfoe beat out a roller to the mound, Urías walked, and, by the time Severino popped out to Bart, San Francisco was trailing, 5-2.
Maurcio Llovera, who came on in the sixth also suffered from Defective Infield Syndrome. Wong led off with a pop up near second base that the ill fated Villar, playing the shift, led clang off his glove for an error. But, in spite of a free pass to Yellich, he escaped the frame unscored upon
Once Woodruff had reached a pitch count of 112 with two down in the bottom of the sixth, Hoby Milner relieved him, getting Wade out on a dying fly that Wong made a fine diving grab of at second. He stayed in the game to set the Giants down in order in the seventh before yielding to Jandel Gustave in the eighth.
Llovera was forced to leave the game with an unspecified injury after retiring Renfoe for the second out in the top of the seventh. From the look of things, my guess is that it was a bister. Llovera was relieved by Yunior Marte, who ended the frame by getting Urías to fly out to center.
Marte hung around through a scoreless eighth, although he did clog the basebaths with a hit batter and two walks. Sam Long pitched the ninth and made short work of the Brewers, setting them down with only a 3-2 walk to sully an otherwise perfect inning.
Josh Hader threw the ninth for the Brewers. Joey Bart, still finding his swing greeted him by blasting his first offering 386 feet into the left field bleachers. It was the Giants’ catcher’s sixth homer and 11th RBI of the year an;d closed the gap to 5-3.
After Wade flew out to right center, Darin Ruf, who had entered the game to pinch hit for Pederson in seventh narrowed the game even further with a 429 foot solo shot to left center. Slater singled to right and almost got picked off first but instead kept running towards second and stole the bag.
Yermín Mercedes, hitting for Belt. got a painful trip to first when Hader plunked him. Then Estrada loaded the bases with at Texas League single to right, bringing Yastrzemski to bat with the game on the line.
On Hader’s first pitch, Yaz blasted a 96mph sinker 420 feet into the center field night for a grand slam walk off and a Giant win.
The win. went to Long, his first against two losses. His ERA now is 3.00.
Hader (0-4,50) was charged with loss and his second blown save of the year.
We’ll see if the Giants can continue their bounce back tomorrow, when they’ll send Alex Cobb (3-4, 4.57) against Milwaiukee’s Eric Lauer (6-3, 3.83). Game time is 4:15.
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